Jack the Ripper
by Armanda Rose
Summary: AU-YaoiKurama is a prostitute on the bad side of town, Hiei is a skilled assassin working for the Underworld. Kurama are killed by a serial killer, Hiei is the prime suspect. What'll happen when their paths lead to each other, and the killer?
1. First Blood

Okay, this fic is weird. I got the idea after watching "From Hell" (ok, only 5 minutes of it) and some documentary on the Jack the Ripper case (also a marathon of slasher movies), and went straight away to write this. 

Insert standard disclaimer here Also, this is all absed in the same time of the Jack the Ripper murders.

WARNING: IT'S **_YAOI_** SO, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ALREADY! SO IF YOU DARE FLAME ME ABOUT THE CONTENT OR IF ANY OF THE CHARACTERS' PERSONAL LIFE, IT'S AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! ALSO, YOU WILL BE POINTED AND LAUGHED AT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! AND I'LL GIVE THE FLAMES TO MY PRYOMANIAC BROTHER!  THAT IS ALL.

As for the people who would enjoy a horror/romance/angst fic, this chapter has blood and guts with detail, you have been warned. Well read on.

Chapter 1: Street Life

*~*~*

A red-head boy stood at the curb of 32nd and 33rd Streets. His light maraschino cherry coat was worn thin and his white undershirt was damp from sweat and whatever else got on there. His tattered leather paperboy hat couldn't keep his red tresses under control. The air was chilly and it felt like the dead of winter. The wind picked up bits of papers, some wrappers and a few whispers of people as they walked by. The boy was waiting……for what? Why, for customers, for payments, for his pocket to have some coins in it. His job was a dirty one, a vile one, but he had no other choice. Who would want a reincarnated thief to be their employee? Not anyone. He was alone. Save for his mother, the only person he really cared about. A few carriages passed, a meek boy with a bundle of laundry scurried by, and a rat nibbled on some crusty bread.

The red-head boy sighed and flicked the butt of a cigarette he'd been chewing into the gutter. It was too early for such jobs to come by. He stepped quietly down the walk, carefully. A ray of firelight exploded from a door, several men fell on top of each other, drunk and bloody. His emerald eyes narrowed as he watched them struggle to rise.

"And stay out!" barked the owner (who was once a judge in some underground fighting ring, Juri was her name he thought), slamming the door, extinguishing the ray of light. Scoffing, the boy stepped over them, and continued on his way. One familiar female drunk hooted after him; the red-head simply lifted his gloved hand, extended his middle finger and continued on his way. He knew she wouldn't remember.

*~*~*

On 34th Street, a demon walked hastily. His raven spiked hair was tossed about, and the white starburst of hair kept getting in his ruby eyes' vision. He didn't mind the cold, but the wind was about the third most annoying thing in the world to him. He stopped to let a carriage pass before crossing the street. He tightened his grip on the old white scarf around his neck and tried to keep his black cloak from fluttering about. His bandana was dangerously close to slipping off his head on to his eyes.

Like the red-head, his job was a dirty one, a vile one. One of the several things that make this world disgusted at itself.  He never met the red-head, or the red-head him. But their lives are intertwined in the fabric religious scholars called "destiny". Fate, your future, your end. Sometimes one wonders if free-will was real. The raven-haired man continued on his way, knowing his job had to be done.

A scream echoed, followed by a gurgle and a loud thud. A blue-haired girl fell, bloody and undoubtedly dead. A dark figure stood over the dead girl; his coat streaked with the woman's blood and bits of burnt flesh clung to the toes of his shoes. He wiped it off with a white cloth and walked down the alley. While another man passed, the woman's blood gushed into the alley.

The raven-haired man just looked on, and kept on walking. He was unaware that a red-head boy who heard the scream saw him walking on the other side of the alley.

*~*~*

The red-head boy looked down the alley, curious of where the scream resonated. There, in the fog and dark, lay a blue-haired woman of his age, her chest blown open, insides gushing out and a large puddle of boiling blood hissed and popped beside her frozen face. Dead, blown up. Like a bomb was planted deep inside her heart and exploded in an instant. The red-head's green eyes twitched, his mouth ajar and making a sound of disbelief. It was the death-bringer herself, killed on the spot. The grim reaper, dead! The red-head backed up, almost tripping on a fleeing cat.

"B-botan!" he yelled. He turned about, looking for a source of help, anyone. His eyes rested on the distant spiked-haired man who he saw walk away from the crime scene earlier. Was he the one to kill death herself? The red-head boy took off running, only one person he knew was close enough to reach. A friend of both

him and Botan. Hopefully, he was just getting off work.

*~*~*

A mere block away, a slick-haired boy whistled down the street, kicking a soup can. He just got off working as a bartender at the local tavern when he saw a familiar red-head come huffing into view. The boy's face cracked into a smile as he attempted to greet his friend. "Kurama! Over-"

"Botan's been murdered!" Kurama gasped, catching his breath. The boy's smile faded as the news sunk into his hard head. "No way! Maybe she's still alive!"

"Usually when people's insides are outside, it means their dead, Yusuke," said Kurama, taking the boy's hand and running down the way he came. Yusuke followed, almost tripping over his feet. They reached the alley in seconds, due to their amazing speed. The girl was paler than before and the blood pooling about was being lapped up by a stray dog while another gnawed on contents that were once inside the ribcage. The boys kicked at the dogs, making them snarl and take off with pieces of the once bubbly, living Botan.

Yusuke fell to his knees in the lukewarm puddle, tears welling in his eyes as a rat crawled through the hole in his friend's chest. Kurama squashed the rat under his foot, causing more blood and guts to ooze out. The boys stared at their dearly departed friend until the smell started to seep into their clothes. The chocolate-eyed boy stood, wiping face with the back of his sleeve.

"I'm gonna kill whoever did this," he murmured. Kurama put a hand on his shoulder, "We should tell the authorities before more of those strays decide to feast."

They left the dead girl and went to the nearest officer, saying all they could about her murder.

By morning, the mess was cleaned, but the bloodstains on Yusuke's pants would never wash away….

*~*~*

The coroner was a rich man, a man who shouldn't be doing this kind of job but loved his work. He much preferred the dead over the living. Save for his love, a smart-talking middle-class girl with a smoking habit and a headstrong younger brother who had a gang in the downtown region. He loved her, but made her keep her distance, just in case his gambling problem might affect her life.

A new body came in, this one of a girl he seen his love around with several times. She would be sad to hear her friend's body had taken inhabitance of a metal box in the basement of her lover's abode. Shizuru would be very sad.

Sakyoo finished the report on a previous body (the poor man named Toguro sold his soul to demons and used over 150% of his power, killing him) so he was free to explore the death-bringer's body.

According to eye witnesses, they found her with her chest exploded and guts spewed everywhere. Her ribcage seem to be cut in a perfect hole, burned and scraped from all insides that made home their from the bottom of her neck to the end of the sternum, but the sides of her ribs were left cut as if they were butter. The skin that had lay across that area was severely burnt and fluttered into ashes at the touch. The blood, according to a witness, boiled in a puddle beside her, like it was heated. That explained the blistering on her arms and shoulders, where it seemed to pool around. It was as if the areas were introduced to scalding hot water.

Sakyoo tied up Botan's chest with some stitches as he finished his observations. He scribbled in his notepad and completed his report. Interesting case. The cause of death was a quick, but extraordinarily neat, blow to the chest with some sort of spirit fire or bomb.

He loved his job.

*~*~*

"No! N-" a faint thump and some guttural gurgle sounds told the raven-haired demon the man wasn't getting up. The raven-haired demon smiled viciously. His job was done. It was a long night, and his sister might get worried if he didn't get home before the time she woke up. His innocent sister didn't know what her brother did. He never wanted her to.

Now, to get this blood off his clothes…

_To be continued…………_

*~*~*

How'd y'all like it? Gory, I know, disgusting, I know.

Random Fan: You killed Kenny! Err….I mean Botan!

I know, I know, but some girl had to die that knew Kurama. I would have used Maya, Suuichi's friend, only shown in the manga. But then no one would know what the hell I'm talking about! I'm trying to use ONLY Yuyu characters, no originals, not even as extras! Those drunks were Atsuko, Yusuke's mom, and her drunken buddies. As shown in the anime. Muwhahaha! Oh well, Botan's dead. That's that. Oh, and the Sakyoo thing is true, he likes to dissect things *snigger*. Also, I'm trying to stick to the Jack the Ripper stuff, but it's hard! Also, I have a little memorial thing at the end, and some info on actual victims. Also, the victims were prostitutes. My story is gonna basically be anyone. People in YYH, who are known. So, this will make people cry because I'm going to try and choose well-liked characters, like poor Botan up there.

As always, review will ya? Flames, as said before, will be given to my pryo-bro and the flamer will be pointed and laughed at by the author and likers of this fic.

Jack the Ripper: Victim 1 (most information attained at this site: )

Born Mary Ann Walker on August 26, 1845 in Shoe Lane off Fleet Street. At the time of her death (August 31, 1888) the East London Observer guessed her age at 30-35. At the inquest her father said "she was nearly 44 years of age, but it must be owned that she looked ten years younger." She died Mary Anne Nichols.

WARNING-Graphic Details

There was a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face. That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb. There was a circular bruise on the left side of the face which also might have been inflicted by the pressure of the fingers. On the left side of the neck, about 1 in. below the jaw, there was an incision about 4 in. in length, and ran from a point immediately below the ear. On the same side, but an inch below, and commencing about 1 in. in front of it, was a circular incision, which terminated at a point about 3 in. below the right jaw. That incision completely severed all the tissues down to the vertebrae. The large vessels of the neck on both sides were severed. The incision was about 8 in. in length. the cuts must have been caused by a long-bladed knife, moderately sharp, and used with great violence. No blood was found on the breast, either of the body or the clothes. There were no injuries about the body until just about the lower part of the abdomen. Two or three inches from the left side was a wound running in a jagged manner. The wound was a very deep one, and the tissues were cut through. There were several incisions running across the abdomen. There were three or four similar cuts running downwards, on the right side, all of which had been caused by a knife which had been used violently and downwards. the injuries were form left to right and might have been done by a left handed person. All the injuries had been caused by the same instrument.- Observations of Dr. Rees Ralph LLewellyn interrupted by The Times

May she rest in peace.


	2. Day One

More slasher movies! *hides from herself* This is easier said than done . Way easier said. In fact, I'll give up on that and just write. Thanks for the reviews. I think O.o………

A thanks to dark-kagome2. My first reviewer. And SilverFoxglove. My second reviewer ^-^. Muwhaha! *teary eyed* You like me, you really like me!

Also, yaoi is my specialty, so I got a Yaoi RPG site, just go to my profile and click on my website link. You'll love it ^^

PS: Watch for the next chapter. *sniggers* Yaoi-ness! WHEE!!!! (Give me a few weeks) PLUS Oct. 5 is my b-day so I'm going to try and update by then.

Chapter 2: Day 1

*~*~*

The raven-haired demon slipped quietly through the door of his boarding house. Well, _their_ boarding house, he had rented two rooms. He and his sister came here to start a new life. The demon man was sent away from adoption as a child, given to a crummy orphanage in the slums of the city close to his home. He was adopted by some bandits, who taught him almost everything he knew. Then, he found out he had a birth sister. The person who knew where she was would only tell him on one condition: He could test his latest experiment on him.

His "experiment" was an all-seeing eye. The Jagan was the evil eye, it could see long distances, it could read people's minds, and if the poor soul is weak enough, control it. As soon as he found his sister, they ran off. Soon, the siblings found themselves here. The poor koorime girl only knew two things about her brother's job. He worked nights and he worked with meat, which would explain the blood. She passed it off as him working the graveyard shift at a meat-packing company.

That's exactly what he wanted her to think.

He climbed up the steps to door 67 and snatched a key from his pocket. He opened the door as quietly as he could. The two-room apartment was clean and tidy. The furniture was sparse; a table here, one or two chairs stacked against the wall to make enough room for his training and Yukina's medicine making tools. She was a pharmacist, working at the local drug store. She made her own medicines and ointments from the various floras in the local gardens. The ice maiden also made jewelry with her tears if times were too hard. Hiei hated himself when it came to that. The demon hated seeing his dear sister cry. He worked three times as many jobs when things seemed the slightest tough for his sister. Hiei would work until things got better or until he started to get hurt himself and Yukina pleaded for him to stop.

The room was not empty. Yukina was already up, grading some purple leaves in a mortar with her pestle. She moved her lips as she read the words off a slip of paper. She was making an ointment for muscle pains and arthritis. He took the time to memorize every concoction's ingredients. The koorime asked him periodically to fetch the ingredients form the gardens, the fire demon gladly did it. Her soft red eyes looked up form her work and brightened in seeing her brother.

"Hiei-chan! Welcome home, how was your day?" she asked. Yukina kept saying "day" when the truth was "night". "It was exceptional…" he murmured, removing his coat and gloves. He undid his belt that held his katana and set it in the corner. Her face looked slightly disheartened. "Why do you carry that thing around? You don't honestly need it?" he couldn't help but sigh with sadness. How innocent she was.

"Protection is all I need it for. You don't know what you might find on the streets at night," he muttered. "True, brother. I forgot about that," she sighed, mimicking unknowingly her brother, "What is this world coming too?"

'A dead end,' he thought. He sat cross-legged by her. Yukina handed him a bowl of rice, "Dinner is served." He took it thankfully and munched on it. "Erm, I'm very sorry, Hiei. I need some fox grapes. Do you mind getting some from the gardens?"

Hiei didn't recall fox grapes in any recipe, must have been new. The plant must be a vine and have grapes, but he didn't know what kind or color that it was. How could he deny his only sister and that sweet face?

The fire demon grabbed his coat and katana and took off. 

*~*~*

Kurama stood at the corner of his street, waiting for his customer, like he did that night of Botan's murder. The wind had picked up, making him hold himself tight, shivering. If a customer didn't show up in a minute, he was going to go home. The poor red-head already had two customers, but they were bad payers. He still couldn't get the horrible taste out of his mouth. Even after a mug of warm ale. His mother would hang her head in shame if she knew. The kitsune sighed, and started to walk home.

The walk was far, but he could go through the park gardens. The gardens were one of his favorite places in the whole city. It was so full of green, raw life that filled the fenced area. The green-thumb Kurama loved to tend to a little section of the gardens that the owner let him plant. He even paid him a few coins a week if it was up to his standards. The kitsune often got tips for making the rest of the garden seem livelier.

Kurama opened the high, wrought iron gates and went into the luscious gardens. He could smell the cherry blossom tree he planted as a child before he even got to the section. The place set aside for him was filled to the brim with vivid purples, sensual reds, calming pinks, soft blues, and deep emeralds. The kitsune took pride in his garden. When any blossoming couple, or fading elders came walking by, they always stop to breathe in the wonderful scents and drink the sights like sweet wine. Lonely people, homeless people, sad people would reminisce on the old stone bench under the sakura blossoms. He enjoyed watching them come in and out of emotions, like butterflies out of cocoons.

He kneeled down to examine a wilting bloom of a ruby rose. The fox made a tutting noise with his tongue and held the wilting blossom up. He reached deep inside his soul and plucked a very thing sliver of spirit energy, which made the small bloom stand up. Its leaves went from crinkled, sickly green to plump, shiny emerald in a matter of seconds. The once nodding petals sprouted up and stared at the overcast sky. He smiled wholesomely and stood. "You'll grow quickly; I can tell you have potential."  
  


Kurama chuckled quietly to himself and sat on his stone bench. The place seemed to reek of natural perfumes and blinding colors. He was about to doze off when a sound startled him. It was life the soft patter of a running child's footsteps, except slightly heavier. It was as light as a bird's, but the dead leaves under the feet crunched in the weight. He narrowed his eyes and stared behind the hedge which separated him and the patter's owner. Kurama saw a man, of short stature but finely toned, flitting quietly. Every few patters, the man stopped and looked around, like an animal trying its best to avoid predators and get to its destination at the same time. He had bright red eyes that glinted as he passed under what light the dense canopy of trees and even denser clouds could let through. Kurama knew it was a demon, for no human could move so stealthily. The demon was looking for something, Kurama concluded. Furthermore, the man seemed vaguely familiar. The fox made himself still, hardly noticeable in the shadows of his sakura tree. The man stopped in front of a copse of large vines. Various grapes hung daintily from the curly boughs, each of different color and taste. The demon looked confused, looking through the curls and grapes, tugging away the vine.

'He is ruining my grapes.'

"Excuse me," Kurama said in the most innocent voice he could muster. It was between a squeak and a timid whisper. The demon didn't seem startled, only turned abruptly. He seemed to have not known the kitsune's existence under the tree. "You're ruining my plants, is there something you need?" he asked, a little profoundly and not so meekly.

*~*~*

Hiei shifted his eyes form the vine and back to the red-head. His plants? The demon stood stock still, staring intensely at the peculiar creature. He seemed human, but something deep inside those pools of sparkling jades, was something wild, untamed, sly, fox-like. He calmed himself mentally downed and said with aplomb, "I'm looking for fox grapes. Where are they?"

The boy gave off the impression of knowing exactly what he was looking for, but didn't show it. "Fox grapes? What are those?" he said plainly.

"Don't play games with me. I'm in no mood to play around with silly humans. Neither have I the time. Now, where are the fox grapes?"

The red-head smiled softly, "I don't know what you are talking about. There are grapes, a lot of those, but possibly which are which I am unsure of."

There was no fooling the fire demon though. "You planted this garden, I have seen you before. You hum to yourself while you are sitting in the dirt planting little seeds in hopes that they grow into useless trees."

"Trees aren't useless."  
  


"When they can't be cut down to properly make planks of wood they are."

"They don't like to be cut down."

"Oh, did they tell you that?"

"Yes. The especially don't like to be ridiculed for the fact they can't be mobile."

"Trees are meant for cutting down and using as raw martial."

"They can be a source of shade and food."

"So can buildings and vines. Where are the fox grapes?"

"For the third time, I don't know."

"You are too clever to not know. Where are they?"

"Thanks for the compliment. And what would a tree-hating person like you want with fox grapes?"

"My sister needs them, and that's all you'll get." 'Damn he's persistent.'

"I don't want anymore, thank you. Grapes for your sister? What could someone related to you do with such a fine bunch of grapes?"

"Healing, you idiot. She's a healer and she needs the grapes. Also, she's a lot more innocent than I'll ever be, and a hell of a lot more caring to humans and demons. Sometimes I even wonder why she cares! There! Happy?"

Hiei was calm but this boy was going to mark his doom if he kept up the act.

Kurama, on the other hand, was in enjoying a conversation with a complete stranger that didn't included the words, "How much does a red-head cost these days?".

The fire demon saw the other's enjoyment and scoffed, "A futile cause, you're just as stubborn and stupid as any human I have encountered."

The fox took this offensively, "Stupid? If I was stupid, then why am I not the one standing in a patch of poison oak?"

Hiei blinked and shifted his eyes down slowly. Surely enough, a thick mass of red and green vine swarmed at his feet. It had three leaves for each burst of one and was oily. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. The fire demon could all ready feel a tingling itch in his ankles.

"My, my, not the brightest crayon in the box, are we?" the red-head chortled. Hiei glared daggers at the rude red-head as he lifted himself from the mass. The fox was sly. He had used a faint bit of energy to make the vines wrap around poor Hiei's legs. As soon as he tried to move, he fell backwards into the itchy plant. Kurama couldn't help but chuckle. The fire demon saw red.

This wasn't surprising, since most fire is red. The plant burst into flames as Hiei got up. The boy's face fell into an unreadable expression. He caught a glimpse of Hiei's long blade as he rose. He got a better view when it was hovering millimeters from his throat.

"Listen you cocky bastard, if you just tell me where the fox grapes are, I won't have to slit your damn throat."

Kurama just stared blankly forward as Hiei's blade glistened by his jugular vein. He remembered now. The man with the spiked hair and white starburst behind him was the same man he saw leaving the murder scene of Botan's death. The same clothes he wore now, he wore then. That blade must have been hidden under the layers of black. The fox saw red.

He was staring at the ruby rosebud he saved earlier. It seemed to dazzle in the shaft of light that shone vibrantly upon it. "You really want those grapes do you?"

"Where are they?" he said quietly, trying to keep his voice low.

"They are right to the side of the wisteria, the grape-shaped pink blossoms. Right in front of me," he said eerily tranquil.

The fire demon lifted an eyebrow. His sword was an excellent negotiator. Hiei sheathed it and walked over to the large vines littered with little round grapes.

"You killed a friend of mine," muttered the fox, already standing. He had hovered near a bare spot, where a single ruby rosebud was just uprooted.

"Hn. It's possible, I'm an assassin, I'm paid to do the dirty work," he sneered reaching for the grapes.

"You killed Botan. She was a dear friend."

"Botan? What the he-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence. A weapon was cracked at him, but he was too fast and dodged. He regained balance on the stone bench, hand resting between his feet like a third leg. Kurama stood there, with that dead expression. In his hand he held a whip, fashioned of green plants fibers and sharp needles of roses.  The ruby rosebud was no more.

"I should turn you in to the authorities, but where is the fun in that?" he said, slightly smirking.

'There it is,' Hiei thought as he pulled out his katana. 'The wild, untamed, sly creature in his eyes.'

*~*~*

The battle was drawn out. It was long enough to make Kurama's mother worry, and Yukina worry for her brother's whereabouts. He was still in the garden, sweaty, topless and bleeding from slight cuts to deep gashes, some turning green from poison. His opponent was in equal shape. Kurama's hair was tousled, his breath ragged, bleeding where a long blade struck and his skin tinged with burn scars. They both staggered on their feet, clothes either torn or thrown off. Kurama's hat lay as a forgotten rag in the bushes while Hiei's white scarf could be found string by string in the canopy.

They matched in every way. Not a word uttered except for battle cries, startled gasps, and titles of attacks. Soon, they fought with their bare fists, one on one. Finally, Kurama broke the silence.

"Why'd you kill Botan?"

Hiei had forgotten all about the meaning of the fight, caught up too much in the fast movements and lashes of his sparring partner.

"Botan? I was never instructed to kill anyone called Botan."

Kurama blinked, mouth slightly ajar. Was he wrong in his assumption that this demon assassin was the murderer of Botan? No, he can't be wrong, he saw him leave!

Then again……

"Then I guess we have wasted blood for nothing. Not to mention a year's worth of gardening….."  
  


Hiei laughed, "I guess so. You are quite a match. I saw your fighting spirit before you even began, in those eyes of yours."

The fox smiled weakly. He managed to mumble, "Honestly? I thought I could hide it, but I guess he likes to come out now and again."

They both laughed. Hiei finally managed to reach up and grab a handful of fox grapes. "My sister is going to worry about me," he said, taking up his cloak. He carefully set the grapes inside a pocket. He slipped it on and was about to flit off when a pain shot through his side. He forgot the excruciating gash he was dealt earlier by a large, putrid plant that left the cut pussy and green.

Kurama remembered that attack, and frowned. "That poison has had enough time to seep into your heart a hundred times. If you don't stop the poison from aging, you'll die in a short time."

Hiei's eyes widened. His sister, his smiling, happy, innocent sister, flashed before his eyes. She was going to loose him, and she would be heart broken. Hiei could never do that to her.

"Is there a cure?" he stuttered, before collapsing on one knee. Kurama stepped closer.

"Just one. The antidote is in the attic of my house. I can't run there and come back, you'll die by then. I can carry you or you can hobble beside me. Either way, you'll get to my home in time and you'll be able to be cured and rest up before morning. Hiei didn't realize it was already nightfall. His sister must be having a panic attack.

"I'll walk."

*~*~*

The fire demon's endurance was higher than Kurama expected. They were already two-thirds of the way there when he had to resort in carrying the mulish demon. The poison oak rashes at his ankles were going to eat him alive if he didn't stop pausing and scratching the red skin. "Try not to touch anything with your hands; you'll end up spreading the oil everywhere."

Hiei did as he was told, but kept a glare set in his face. Kurama had to admit, he was handsome, in a deadly, cutthroat, pyromaniac demon child sort of way.

Kurama reached his house; his mother must have been sleeping because he found the house tidy and not lights on. A note was scribbled on a slip of paper on the table.

Dear Shuuichi,

I went to the other Suuichi's grandma's home to give her some medical attention. I won't be back for a week, she's really in bad shape, make yourself more at home than usual. The meat is in the ice box and the garden in back is ready for picking.

Love, Mom

Kurama smiled. His mother had met a middle-class gentlemen a few months ago, and that's all she ever did. She took care of his son's grandmother, a wealthy aristocratic martial arts legend in the good part of town. His son was coincidentally named Shuuichi, too. He crumpled the note and led the stumbling, ill demon to his room.

He laid the clammy man on his bed and covered him with a blanket. "I'm not a child," he murmured, blinking in and out of sickened drowsiness.

"I know, but you're going to act like on until you're cured," said Kurama, shuffling about the room. He found the vile of the antidote and opened it. It was a pasty blue and smelled like rotten oranges. He plucked a soft piece of cotton from his drawer and dabbed some blue salve on it. He removed the blanket from the panting demon and dabbed the salve on the gash. It was now oozing a mix of blood and green liquid, the sides of the wound singing from the fire demon's body heat. He was far hotter than a normal fire demon should be. A fire demon with a fever should be taken under careful surveillance. Kurama wrapped a soft gauze around the small man's torso and tucked the blanket over him again.

"W-why are y-you doing this?" he questioned voice fading from the poison's effect, also from lack of sleep.

"Just doing my job," he replied smugly and pressed an icy cloth to the demon's head. Hiei cringed; it stung like a viper's bite.

"What is your name, so I may know what to put on your tombstone if this doesn't work?" asked the fox, being dead serious.

"……H…..Hi……Hiei," he fell into a comatose state, breaths less hoarse and contained. Kurama sighed softly, and knew Hiei would be bed bound for at least four days. He knew the little fire demon wouldn't like that, especially since his sister was waiting for him. He pulled a chair to the bedside and propped an elbow on the bed. He too was sleepy, and soon found himself with his head on the bed, sleeping soundly.

*~*~*

Hiei woke gradually, his eyes kept unfocusing and his entire body was tingling. It felt like the blood was drained form his limbs making them fall asleep. His eyes were bloodshot and slightly teary. A few blinks and it started to fade. He got enough strength to look around. The fire demon was a room, neat and orderly. A vanity to one side, a closet to the other and the bed he laid on in the middle. A few springs of lavender were hung over the door and a vase of blooming roses on the vanity.

Then he remembered. The bed was tilting to the side slightly; he looked to see a head of long red tresses laying to his right. The body slowly rose and fell as the red-head slept. He sighed, but started coughing raucously. Kurama woke with a start and saw the pale demon trying to cover his coughs. He smirked and said sweetly, "So you're awake and moving? Good, then I guess you can get down a decent breakfast then."

Hiei stared at him with angry eyes. "I…w-wouldn't be here if y-you didn't a-ac-"

"Settle down, what done is done. We have to look at the matter at hand, which is the poison. You'll be bed bound for a few days. Just try not to get up and walk out in broad daylight…." Kurama muttered, disappearing behind his door. Hiei spat and cross his arms. He found this extremely painful and suppressed a yelp. Kurama must have heard because his voice floated up the stairs, "Try not to move period. The poison would have made you stiff and your muscles are now really sensitive. If you move, the poison that has been dormant since last night will energize and start to kill your insides."

'That's nice to know, got anymore catches?' the fire demon thought sarcastically. He laid back and braced himself for the rest. Kurama came back, holding a small bowl of ramen. Hiei only turned his head when the fox tried to give him a spoonful. "Listen, you must eat. If you don't, you won't have any energy to fight off the poison."

"I thought that's what the antidote was for," he said, it sounded like he had a severe bronchitis.  Kurama shook his head, "Only to make the poison spores dormant and weak, your body kills the actual poison."

Hiei was even more sullen now. Now what could he do? His sister would be sick with worry……

"About your sister," Kurama said, reading the demon's face, "If you can tell me where she is, I can tell her that you're safe."

His head turned abruptly, a look of disbelief. "I can do that, I'm not disabled you know," the fox said mockingly.

"Ch'," was his only reply.

"Fine. Let your sister die of concern for her brother."

He mumbled something incoherently. Kurama leaned closer.

"Thirteenth Street. She'll be in the drug store. If she isn't, she's at our home. It's the large boarding house on Sixth and Madison, room 67," he mumbled, staring out the window. A raven cawed at him then flew off the window sill. Kurama followed the crow's black plumes disappear behind a tree.

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour, with news of your sister and some decent clothes….." he said with a suppressed snigger.

Hiei finally noticed his shirt was demolished and his pants were torn in so many places, if he pulled a single thread they would fall. He could feel himself blushing. Thankfully, the fox was down the stairs and out the door.

*~*~*

Kurama walked and walked. He finally reached the corner shop drug store. The fox entered the tiny shop, a bell rang somewhere in the back. It was sparkly clean for a corner store. Rows of bakery items, piles of cheeses, boxes of herbs and jugs of liquor littered the area. There was two counter, one of the left and one in the back. A small turquoise-haired girl was bent over a bowl of herbs, picking the seeds from the small dandelions. Her teary ruby eyes unwavering from the bell sound. Kurama was about two inches from her bent head before she noticed him.

"Oh, hello! I'm sorry, I got caught up in separating….." she pushed aside the bowl and replaced it with her folded hands. It could see several small pearls on the counter top. She shoved those off too.

"And what would you like today sir?" she asked sweetly, wiping her wet eyes. Kurama smiled.

"Do you have any healing balm?" he asked quietly. She nodded and ducked under the counter and plucked a jar full of blue cream. "Is this all?"

Kurama nodded and paid her the amount. "How are you?" he asked while counting the currency. She bit her lip and lied, "Yes just fine. Thank you for your concern."

Kurama smiled pleasantly, "Your welcome."

The fox started to walk to the door; he turned around, one hand on the door. "Your brother is safe; he won't be home for a few days, but safe nonetheless."

Yukina gasped, and was about to stop him, but he was gone before he could say anything.

*~*~*

Well? How'd you like it? I know there's no blood or gore, no angst or romance. In the next chappie, yep!! YAOIYAOIYAOI!!!


	3. Day Two and Three

Happy Birthday to me…happy birthday to me…..Oct 5, my b-day, and I'm trying to update for you! Unfortunately, I didn't succeed in doing so…..

Oh well. Just to tell you, out-of-character characters are expected, okay? At least the extras…….

I'm starting this new thing called "kamikaze ratings". Even though kamikaze means "divine wind" people thinks it has to do with suicide. So, I rate each of my chappies with "kamikaze ratings". On a scale of 0-10. ((Due to religion and stuff, I'm not saying "my god" I say "my Gabriel". My friend worships the young version of Peter Gabriel, a solo singer/Genesis lead singer. Tis pretty catchy ^^)) 

0-MY GABRIEL THIS IS THE MOST FANTASTICLY WRITTEN PIECE OF LITERATURE SINCE…….NEVER!

1- MY GABRIEL THIS IS THE MOST FANTASTIC FIC WRITTEN SINCE THE DAWN OF FIC-DOM!

2-MY GABRIEL THIS IS THE BEST FIC WRITTEN IN THE PAST DECADE!

3-My Gabriel, this fic is damn good!

4-Dear Gabriel, this is the best fic I read today.

5-I swear to Gabriel that I am totally neutral of this fic.

6-I'm spying that knife on my desk……

7-I'm thinking about that knife…..

8-My hand plays with the knife….

9-I'm sliding the blade across my wrist…

10- *thud* HI GABRIEL!

Hehe. I like this scale ^^. Something along the lines of that. This chappie's kamikaze rating is: 2. DUNDUNDUN!

Chapter 3: Day 2&3

*~*~*

By the time Kurama got home, Hiei was asleep. The covers were strewn awkwardly, the demon's leg falling off the edge of the bed. Kurama sighed and straightened the blankets and put Hiei's leg back in. Why did the ferocious fire demon look so much like an innocent child when he sleeps? The fox smiled and checked his temperature. It was cooler than before, but still hot. The cloth had fallen off and lay limp next to his face, steaming from the body heat. His breath was still ragged and hoarse. The bowl of ramen was drained, leaving it clean enough to eat off of.

"Well, thankfully you ate something….."

He tossed his jacket on to his chair and opened his closet. He pulled another jacket, one less bloody, and pulled it on. Snatching a lighter, he lit the nearest lantern, so there could be some light if Hiei decides to get up. The fox walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. He had to go out for another job search. Unfortunately, one had just passed his doorway.

*~*~*

Itsuki stood in front the home of the red-headed beauty. The word of down town was that this beauty was a fiery one and did what he was told. The dimension demon* smiled slyly and waited. In no time, the red-head appeared, locking the door and coming down the steps. He spotted Itsuki, but passed him as if he was a pedestrian.

How dare him.

The demon grabbed him roughly by the arm. He heard a sharp intake of breath, and a quick counter-movement. Not quick enough. Itsuki had him pinned to the wall, breathing down his neck.

"Good evening, my dear," he said softly, his blue hair veiling his features. Kurama didn't look scared, but annoyingly calm and collected, face neutral. "I heard you were fairly good……."

"Depends on who you heard it from," the red-head wonder said dryly.

"Hm……I'll pay you treble the amount of double of what you normally ask for."

Kurama eyed the demon, he seemed decent enough. He shrugged, "Alright. Now…I doubt you would like it out in the open, shall we go somewhere a little bit secretive?"

Itsuki chucked Kurama on the chin and said sweetly, "How about that darling house of yours? I know your dear mother is out, and the house is more or less empty."

The fox considered the location. It was secluded, his mother wasn't going to be home in awhile, the place was soundproof to other homes, and it was empty.

Wait, Hiei was there. Kurama cursed in his mind. Maybe Hiei was a fairly heavy sleeper? What the man was going to pay was certainly a large sum of money, enough to pay off two weeks rent and three days' rations. How could he refuse?

"Fine, come right in," he said leading the way in. Itsuki came up quietly and waited patiently as the fox undid the locks and let him in. Leading him up the stairs, the red-head seemed irresistible. The demon reached the top of the stairs and slammed Kurama into the wall, covering him with kisses.

"Not…..here!" the red-head hissed, pushing him away roughly. "I have a guest! We are going into the guest room, alright?" The fox started to walk to the next bedroom, Itsuki's hand tightly grasped. "A guest? Don't you mean customer?" he said hotly. Kurama glared straight ahead, trying not to say anything.

"Ah, so she….or should I say he, is a customer? And he gets your room? I feel betrayed!" the demon whined, pouting. Kurama hissed, "He was here first, and he is not my customer."

Itsuki shut up and was led into a red-themed room, where Kurama started to remove his clothing.

*~*~*

Hiei woke to a thud against the wall; he blinked lazily, and yawned. The brief moment of amnesia when one first wakes up was utter bliss, till the dire truth crashed upon his chest. His chest pained him even more now. The fire demon let out a raspy breath. He heard Kurama's hushed voice and another own reply. Who was that?

A few minutes later, a door was closed the squeak of bedsprings creaked. Hiei didn't wish to hear it, but a little later soft moans and recurring encouragements were heard through the thin walls.

Hiei frowned, disgusted. Not that this was any better than his job, but disgusting nonetheless. A muffled yelp and the creak of bedsprings made him want to puke. 

*~*~*

Itsuki smiled as he closed the door to the red-head's home and started walking down the street. The fox was even better than people say he was. His muscles ached and sweat still was damp in his hair.

Normally, he wouldn't sleep with a night seducer, but his Sensui insisted they should see different people. The demon didn't want to upset his love, but still longed for the human's embrace. He sighed and turned into an alley.

His body wasn't found till the following Monday. 

*~*~*

The next day, he noted Kurama had bruised wrists and raw skin about his neck. The fire demon kept his mouth shut; even refusing to eat for fear that words of disgust might spill out.

The fox looked slightly sullen, and kept itching his the back of his neck. "Come on Hiei. Eat some food and you'll get better quicker!"

Hiei laid motionless, face to the wall.

"What's with the cold shoulder?" he didn't need to ask. Kurama had an ache in his mind that he knew _exactly_ the reason for the treatment.

"I guess you heard then."

"Hn."

"You are very monosyllabic in the morning, have you noticed that?"

"Ch'."

"My point is proven."

"I can't believe you sink that low for some pocket change."

"Same for you, Hiei. I'm just for the job that involves the other side of the coin."

"Yes, I slice the heads while you screw the tails."

"That's not funny."

"Hn."

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

"Not directly."

"You are very sour today."

"And you're not so sweet yourself."

"I made enough money to support myself for several weeks. And I didn't have to bloody myself."

"You got bruised and scarred instead."

"Hn."

"Now who's monosyllabic?"

"Still not funny."

"I'm surprised you can sit."

"I'm surprised you can talk, that poison should have paralyzed your head first, then the rest of you."

"I have no feeling in my face, if you sliced my nose off I couldn't feel it."

"Good idea, I should try it."

"Hn."

Kurama huffed, and put down the bowl of ramen. There was no use in arguing with the demon, he was to hot-headed. No pun intended. The fox thought for a second and smiled for a second.

Hiei had to eat something. And those rice cakes weren't going to get from the spoon to Hiei's mouth. He took a dainty bite of a rice cake and tapped Hiei on the shoulder.

The fire demon turned his face to look at him. Kurama captured his lips in a kiss. His tongue forced Hiei's mouth open and he passed the un-chewed rice cake from his mouth to Hiei's. He didn't let Hiei go until Hiei swallowed the bite.

Hiei started to cough and spat abruptly as soon as Kurama let go. He let a few curses slip and he stared vilely at Kurama's smiling face.

"What the hell! I don't know where you mouth's been!" he hissed, wiping his mouth. Kurama only smirked. "I can't stand the foul taste afterwards, so I end up chugging a bottle of mint-water and another one of hydrogen peroxide. I doubt much is left."

Hiei still glared.

"Plus, you said yourself you couldn't feel a thing in your face. Just be thankful I didn't slice off your nose and stuff the food that way."

"Hn."

"Just be glad I didn't strap you down for this," he said sweetly, leaning back on the chair and opening his closet, pushing some of the clothes and revealing a small collection of bondage.

"You are sickening."

Kurama shrugged, "I bet you have a collection of killing utensils."

Hiei did. Also, it was in the back of his closet.

Curse that fox.

"I think you liked that kiss," Kurama said eating some of his rice cake. "Or was there several brief moments where you couldn't control you tongue?"

Hiei blushed immensely, and returned to staring at the wall.

*~*~*

Sakyoo sighed and stitched up the body of Itsuki. He knew this one corpse personally. His successor to his work, Sensui, had a deep love for the pretty demon. Too bad. That's life. The man scribbled in his note pad.

Today's victim died from a hole in his stomach and a large burn to his face, which melted his lips and nostrils together. Another spirit-energy related death.

Sakyoo loved his job.

*Itsuki can make his own dimension. In which he drags the body of Yusuke's enemy, Sensui, into. Which he is forever embracing his lover (chorus of awwws). The only OFFICAL yaoi couple in the series…….oh well, better one than none.

Okie dai. Now for the memorial…… 

Jack the Ripper: Victim 1

Annie Chapman aka Dark Annie, Annie Siffey, Sievey or Sivvey

WARNING-Graphic Details

 The left arm was placed across the left breast. The legs were drawn up, the feet resting on the ground, and the knees turned outwards. The face was swollen and turned on the right side. The tongue protruded between the front teeth, but not beyond the lips. The tongue was evidently much swollen. The front teeth were perfect as far as the first molar, top and bottom and very fine teeth they were. The body was terribly mutilated...the stiffness of the limbs was not marked, but was evidently commencing. He noticed that the throat was dissevered deeply.; that the incision through the skin were jagged and reached right round the neck...On the wooden paling between the yard in question and the next, smears of blood, corresponding to where the head of the deceased lay, were to be seen. These were about 14 inches from the ground, and immediately above the part where the blood from the neck lay. 

He should say that the instrument used at the throat and abdomen was the same. It must have been a very sharp knife with a thin narrow blade, and must have been at least 6 in. to 8 in. in length, probably longer. He should say that the injuries could not have been inflicted by a bayonet or a sword bayonet. They could have been done by such an instrument as a medical man used for post-mortem purposes, but the ordinary surgical cases might not contain such an instrument. Those used by the slaughtermen, well ground down, might have caused them. He thought the knives used by those in the leather trade would not be long enough in the blade. There were indications of anatomical knowledge...he should say that the deceased had been dead at least two hours, and probably more, when he first saw her; but it was right to mention that it was a fairly cool morning, and that the body would be more apt to cool rapidly from its having lost a great quantity of blood. There was no evidence...of a struggle having taken place. He was positive the deceased entered the yard alive... 

A handkerchief was round the throat of the deceased when he saw it early in the morning. He should say it was not tied on after the throat was cut.


End file.
